with the clothes she wore and not much more, she met a Lithuanian refugee.
Love blossomed and the couple moved to Adelaide, later opening a fish a chip shop.
Fast forward two generations and while Eta, now 91, still volunteers
Hospital, her grandson, Peter, is dismissing and anointing Premiers. It is a story of power and patronage.her story gives people like me who grew up in a loving home and had a goodeducation no excuse for not making a contribution to society," Mr Malinauskas told the Sunday Mail as he reflected on turning 31 this week - after telling Premierhe was out and Jay Weatherill was in.
It's a big call for the former Woolworths trolley boy - a suddenly powerful man with powerful enemies who deride him as a boy unionist installing mates in powerful positions.
In the slow motion coup,
played Brutus to Mr Rann's Caesar - a one-time supporter who, along with offsider and Right faction colleague Treasurertapped the Premier on the shoulder. He also told Deputy Premier John Rau he would not be Premier - despite beingpreference to replace him.It takes nerve for a 30-year-old to tell the state's two most powerful politicians their fates. Guts, even.
As state secretary of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association - the "shoppies" - the tall, dark and handsome Mr Malinauskas leads the union with the most clout in the
He scoffs at suggestions he is a kingmaker. So how did someone so young come to a position of dismissing and anointing Premiers?
When he was a youngster, parents Kate and Peter instilled a sense of social justice and the
importance of objectivity in dinner table chats which were more about current affairs than politics
recalls her son surreptitiously releasing a mouse from a sticky trap when he wasdispose" of it.He always had his own sense of justice,she recalls. " knows life is for living - he has never held back. He loves people but is humble, from giving blood to looking after his union memberslike they are familyAnd, yes, of course he got up to mischief, like kidnapping his sister's doll and giving it a bungy jump."her son's sense of compassion and drive to succeed may stem from losing two close mates in a car accident.Younger brother Rob, 23, family life at Colonel Light Gardens revolved around backyard cricket and footy, with his big brother.
We were fierce rivals but there wasn't teasing, just the fun of playing together - and having a big brother when I went to high school was great; I felt really cool,The Catholic family sent to Mercedes College where he showed leadership potential in football and cricket, as well as excelling in his studies.He was a member of the student representative council and a school captain in year 12. Alonga former journalist and now senior government adviser on a six-figure salaryplays footy for Adelaide University.Mercedes College principalrecalls him as a future leader.
He was one of those kids involved in lots of things; he was a popular lad,He had a magnetic personality that appealed to teachers and students alike. I don't recall himbeing particularly political - he was on thebut that was a collaborative way to work with theschool rather than anything radical.
He has been very generous with his time since leaving and still comes back to the school to talk to year 12s."
Asked if he got up to any mischief
diplomatically and quipped: "He was the perfect child."While still in schoolstarted work at the bottom, getting a casual job aged 15 atwhereorganisers quickly signed him to the union. Intelligent and articulate, he came to the attention of union organisers and volunteered to be a shop floor representative.
I loved my job at Woolies; it was a great place to work and I made some great mates in the seven years I worked thereWhile at Woolies, I put my hand up to be the night delegate, a role I enjoyed. That led to me meetingwho offered me a job visiting night workers as an referred to in thethe godfather took a shine to himrose through the ranks to become assistant secretary while earning a degree in commerce atUniversity.Showing obvious talents, a good work ethic and a strong commitment to speaking up for workers' rights and conditionsIt was always clear that he understood the concerns of retail workers. continues to display his dedication to standing up for the wages and conditions of retail workers
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